As Good as Movies Get

Movies can wield a strange power over those who sit in the darkened seats of
a theatre. The truly great ones manipulate your perception of reality,
suspend your disbelief, and ultimately either alter or affirm your view on
life. NUOVO CINEMA PARADISO is just such a movie. It is the near-perfect
melding of direction, acting, script, sound track, and cinematography.
Phillipe Noiret and Salvatore Cascio give the kind of performances usually
associated with much more recognizable actors. The supporting cast looks
like they could all be full-blooded Sicilians. The location shots add depth
and realism to the entire production. Ennio Morricone's music is simply the
most appropriate and emotive I have ever had the pleasure to hear in a
theatre. Tornatore's script and direction are a joy, a breath of fresh air.

I will not spoil this story by repeating it, nor will I give away the
ending, although it matters not a whit. I could disclose fully everything
in this movie, and in seeing it, all my words would evaporate. There is
nothing like the experience of sitting through it, becoming engulfed by it,
and in the end, being changed.

Was the above review useful to you?

148 out of 156 people found the following review useful:

My favourite film of all time

It is by now well known that there are two versions of this film that
differ greatly, the original 3 hour Italian cut and the heavily
re-edited 2 hour version which was the version that charmed the world
in 1989. It remains a wonderful experience, but the director's cut is
so much richer, deeper, satisfying,well,everything. This review is of
the director's cut which may not be the greatest film in the world but
is my favourite film of all time ever since I came out of the cinema in
which I first saw it in back in 1994 crying my eyes out. Never has a
film effected me as emotionally as this one. Cinema Paradiso is many
things- a touching story of a friendship, a wonderful portrayal of a
Sicilian village, a loving tribute to the cinema, amongst other things,
but the longer cut is I believe the most moving and romantic love story
ever. For my money, you can forget Casablanca,Dr Zhivago,Titanic,Romeo
and Juliet,etc {great as some of them are}, this is the one that does
it for me.

Divided into three sections, it is the first section that was left
almost intact in the short version. It is of course primarily concerned
with the relationship between young Toto and the projectionist of his
local cinema, Alfredo. It is full of delightful touches,such as Toto
stealing a frame of film from behind Alfredo's back, or when Toto helps
Alfredo during an exam so he can be allowed into the projection booth,
or perhaps best and simplest of all of all Toto's spellbound face as he
watches the footage that will be censored by the town priest. The
cinema is portrayed as almost being the centre of life in the town
Giancaldo in which the film is mostly set. The actual sequences set in
the cinema are full of wonderful observation and even some belly
laughs. There's the man who only goes to the cinema to sleep and is
always awoken by kids, the couple who see each other for the first time
because everyone else is cowering from Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde, the old
man who says "no, this is IMPORTANT" when everyone else "booos" the
news-all human life is here, with more observations and insights than
in any Mike Leigh film. This section climaxes in a scene which is
simply magical, when Alfredo projects a film onto the wall of a house
so everyone can see it.

As the film moves forward several years to show Toto as a 16 year old,
the wonderful cinema scenes are still present. Who can forget the
cinema usher telling off a group of young boys for playing with
themselves while watching Brigitte Bardot and then sheepishly giving
his own manhood a little touch? Director Guiseppe Tornatore also subtly
reminds us of changing times, such as when television is first shown in
the cinema. However, it is mainly concerned with Toto's {now called
Salvatore} courtship of the girl he is in love with, Elena. No one who
has experienced the pangs of first love can fail to respond to such
scenes as Salvatore ranting on to Elena on the phone how much he loves
her and realising he's actually been talking to her mother, or the
beautiful first kiss and embrace in the projection booth {of course}.

It is in the final section, as Salvatore, now a great film director,
returns to Giancaldo as a 50ish man to attend Alfredo's funeral,where
the humour all but disappears {well, life gets more serious as one gets
older, does it not?} and the pace does slow-be warned. It is possibly
the most emotional hour of cinema ever, and was cut to about 15 mins in
the short version. Salvatore's reunion with Elena, which also displays
absolutely brilliant acting from Jacques Perrin and Brigitte Fossey, is
so painful a sequence, as the two characters pour their hearts out to
each other. As Ennio Morricone's love theme swells up {a truly
heartbreaking piece of music},it ends up being one of the most
beautiful love scenes ever filmed. Salvatore's reunion with his mother
and his exploration of the cobwebbed, dilapidated, cinema are also
extremely moving. As for the final scene, where Salvatore opens a
certain gift Alfredo left him-well,there's been too many spoilers
already in this review, but suffice to say it is matchless, simply
matchless. It was moving in the short cut, but is three times more
meaningful in the director's cut.

Cinema Paradiso has been called sentimental, but in the director's cut
it is a darker, deeper kind of sentimentality. Maybe it is still "a
love letter to the cinema", but it is also shows that obsessive love of
something such as films can also result in sadness and regret. Think of
what happens to Alfredo in the film, and as for Salvatore, well, his
curse is that he has two loves in his life but success in one of them
comes at the expense of the other. The uncut Cinema Paradiso is more
then anything else about life and the effect of the decisions we make.
O, and the greatest, most heartbreaking love story ever {have I already
said this!}

Was the above review useful to you?

155 out of 173 people found the following review useful:

A Masterpiece

I seldom watch Italian movies, (i saw it today for the first time)
being Italian maybe i'm biased, but this one really stands out. A real
masterpiece; i can't remember another movie so moving like this one,
maybe Schindler's list; it makes you laugh and it makes you cry, yet it
is so simple and straightforward. Maybe there lies its magic: no
Hollywood superstars, no special effects, just pure emotions and
feelings, love, fear, grief and regret, nostalgia for childhood and
youth, memories of places and times that will not come back, memories
of the loved ones. Some movies are there to entertain, some to scare,
some to question. This movie is there to affect your feelings.
Definitely to be seen.

Was the above review useful to you?

141 out of 155 people found the following review useful:

Personal Favorite

Whether you are a professional or an amateur it is always wise to
avoid
superlatives with regard to a movie critique ... but I cannot.
'Cinema
Paradiso' is simply the finest movie I have ever seen. Like many
who
have posted at this site before me I have seen it many many times.
It
reaches within me to places other movies have never reached and I
have
often wondered why. Perhaps it is because of it's simplicity.
It
contains no expensive special effects, it has no gratuitous sex
or
violence, it has no "multi-millon dollar per performance" actors that
I
know of, it is arguable whether it even has a story line, and yet
it
soars far above the nonsense that film makers are producing these
days.
It's characters are portrayed by each and every actor in award
winning
style and the music is not only beautiful but absolutely perfect
for
this film.

It is quite simply the story of a human life and it's tragedies
and
triumphs within the context of a vocation. A young boy matures
and
gradually learns the lessons of life, cultivates his passion for
the
cinema, and is rewarded with professional success; however, he
remains
unfulfilled for true love has escaped him only to return in the form
of
a gift of love which transcends time, space, and death to reveal at
the
closing of the film Toto's one true mistress.

A staggering triumph of both the cinematic art and of story telling
and
yet there may be found people who do not like this movie .... I tend
to
keep such people at arms length and maintain a wary eye fixed upon
them
at all times.

Was the above review useful to you?

139 out of 159 people found the following review useful:

A breath of fresh air blowing away the cobwebs of Hollywood "blah" films.

I have seen this film at least a dozen times and each time I am carried away
to a small village in Italy, where the dreams of a small boy come true and
we can join his spellbinding journey. The Italian language (it is
subtitled) adds to the film's beauty and music, the characters are so real
you can almost smell them. I am absorbed into "Paradiso" each time I watch
it, so that when it is over, I am shocked into the realisation that I
haven't actually been anywhere except right there, in my theatre seat. I am
not a huge "art house" film fan or indeed enjoy subtitled films (it is hard
on the old eyes!) but "Paradiso" is a gem and is worth seeing again and
again.

Was the above review useful to you?

95 out of 109 people found the following review useful:

Profoundly important movie

Cinema Paradiso is a profoundly important movie because it deals with
identifiable emotions/issues that could be considered universal on so
many levels. The entire story is retrospective similar to Fellini's
style as well as a love story that pulls in the viewer on an emotional
level. The film also attempts to expose an inkling of Sicilian life,
language,(different from Italian) and how "history" has intruded upon
and shaped the mentality of the Sicilian people; to also show that
traditional concepts of what is "moral" or right is not to be taken for
granted because of the people and their particular history. For those
who do not fancy history or non-fiction, the film attempts to educate
the "outsider" not familiar with Sicilian history as it pertains to the
WWII era. I watch it again and again and see more and more details that
pertain to the story. I did see it on the big screen at a local theater
back in 1991 and it was a hit with the audience. I have several
scenerio that I think could make it more interesting and am very
curious about the uncut version and what is different about it.
Finally, the movie does make me cry because it is after all a love
story and it is clear at the end that Toto (aka Salvatore)is still in
love with Elena and that is why he never married or settled down "..to
love one person. . . " as his mother says to him after his 30 year
absence from home. The final scene of the credits also shows him
looking at Elena again and the look on his face is telling. This film
has many little "hints" that serve to inform the viewer and give just a
little more info. about the story. Truly, one of the best films I have
ever seen !!! These characters come alive and we feel like we know
them--personally. Viva Giuseppe Tornatore for his masterpiece!

Was the above review useful to you?

101 out of 129 people found the following review useful:

Every Filmmaker's Favorite Film

Giuseppe Tornatore's Nuovo cinema Paradiso (Cinema Paradiso) is
everything good about the movies. It is a story about love. The love
between a Father and Son, an Individual and his home, and the love for
the movies. Even if this is not your favorite film, if you are a
filmmaker, you have no choice but to say this is your all time favorite
film (if not one of the greatest films ever made). If only for the
movie's ending, this is a great film. The ending answers all of your
questions and completes the story. The missing love from a Man's life.
The missing pieces to all the stories (movies) found and made into a
whole. The final message from beyond the grave, the ending is perfect.
If the musical score doesn't put you in tears, the amazing visuals will
push you over the edge. This is what all movies should be about.
Terrific.

Was the above review useful to you?

74 out of 79 people found the following review useful:

A beautiful film about the love of movies and life

I continue to be moved and deeply touched by this beautiful film from
Italy,
and I never tire of watching it. I share the lives of Toto and Alfredo,
the
small Sicilian boy, who loses his father in the second world war, and the
older man who runs the projector at the local cinema. Toto lives in a
world
of make believe, movies, adventure. His dreams take him away from the
small
Sicilian village where he lives with his mother and sister. Alfredo
becomes
for him a surrogate father, and the movies, his paralell existence. It is
a
deceptively simple film, which sweeps you up and carries you along. You
never want it to end. And, when it does end, it is with such heartbreaking
simplicity, I cannot help being moved to tears. Young Salvatore Cascio is
a
marvel as the small Toto, a mischievous, impish, adorable child. Phillipe
Noiret is unforgettable as the sly and heart-warming Alfredo. You grow up
with Toto, until he becomes a famous film director in Rome, and returns to
the small village after many years for Alfredo's funeral. It is the story
of
life, lost love, devotion, friendship, and family. It is
unforgettable.

Classic

This 1988 Italian film (released in the US in 1990), is back with a
full 51 minutes added on. This seemed like a stupid idea...there was
nothing wrong with the original. The directors cut (which was 1/2 hour
longer) was considered a mess. Also, for this release, an extra 1/2
hour was added! I expected the worse. Well, I was pleasantly surprised
that this 3 hour version is better than the 2 hour one.

This story follows the life of Salvatore. He's born in a tiny Italian
village and we see him as a little boy in the 1930s, an adolescent in
the 40s-50s and an adult in the 80s. It basically is about his love of
movies and the one true love of his life--Elena. They are in love but
she comes from a rich family and he lives in poverty. How can they be
together?

POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILER IN NEXT PARAGRAPH!!!!

The cut movie in the US excised a lot of the Elena subplot and
concentrated on Salvatore's love of movies. There's nothing wrong with
that, but Elena disappears quite suddenly. This full version explains
what happened between them and fleshes out the characters more. It also
reveals a crucial surprise at the end.

The performances are all fantastic--especially by the gorgeous young
actor playing Salvatore as a teenager. Elena is also stunning. The film
has beautiful cinematography and a haunting music score. The 3 hours
flew by for me. I didn't want it to end!

So...beautiful music, attractive stars, good acting, compelling story
and some incredible romantic sequences. A must-see!!!!